


It All Comes Crashing Down

by musicdefinesusall



Series: Picking Up the Pieces [3]
Category: Chuck (TV), White Collar
Genre: I am the worst at tagging, Identity Reveal, Neal Caffrey is Bryce Larkin, next to no editing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-12
Updated: 2020-08-09
Packaged: 2021-03-04 23:14:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 12,466
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25214482
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/musicdefinesusall/pseuds/musicdefinesusall
Summary: This was not how Bryce thought the White Collar office would find out about his work with the CIA. He should know by now that these big plans very rarely go according to plan.
Series: Picking Up the Pieces [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1800319
Comments: 29
Kudos: 91





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I have several different ways this part of the story plays out, and ended up going with this route for this series. So, I may end up posting the other ideas I've written out under another series of stories for unconnected identity reveals with Neal as Bryce. As always, I've only read through this a few times for basic edits. If you see any major inconsistency or problem with it, please let me know.

Bryce was excited. No, he was more than excited. He was buzzing with positive energy to the point everyone in the office knew that something good, or at least good in their CI’s eyes, was going to happen. It was impossible to even take away a fraction of the positive energy that week. Well, on Monday it was at least a little subtle, but everyone started to pick up on it by the end of the day. And since it made everyone else feel more positive and optimistic because of Caffrey’s good mood, Hughes didn’t say anything about it.

Besides, he would be a hypocrite if he told Bryce to calm down and not be so excited. After all, the following week was when it was going to be announced that Neal Caffrey, conman and CI to the FBI would be leaving them. Hughes could appreciate a dramatic pause that he knows will end in him having to quiet down the entire floor from asking questions. Especially since everyone knew that there was still another year left on Caffrey’s sentence with the FBI. That would then be when Hughes would quiet them all down and say that the man they knew as Neal Caffrey would not be gone.

Queue the confusion with the next dramatic pause. After all, how could they be losing the CI but still keep the man?

He would then drop the bombshell that Neal Caffrey was an undercover agent for the CIA, and he would be joining the White Collar team officially as Agent Bryce Larkin, former CIA agent. His mission ended earlier than expected because of hard work and dedication to finish his latest mission, so they were able to negotiate the new work arrangement.

Hughes would be lying if he said that he wasn’t anticipating that day. He loved to pull a small joke or two now and again, and this was the perfect way to end the year. But, before that could happen, there was one last mission that the CIA wanted to use Bryce for. And it was because the CIA and FBI were after the same group of criminals that the CIA thought this could be a good chance to show cross agency teamwork. Potentially use it going forward as precedence to set up a team from White Collar who could step in with future missions to assist the CIA if needed. Even if it was described that way on paper, Bryce would be the only one on the takedown team who knew it was a CIA and FBI joint mission/case. Hughes only had to fill in Bryce on some of the extra details before he, Peter, Jones, and Diana were off for the stakeout early that afternoon.

Bryce was in the middle of talking with Jones and Diana when he was called to join Hughes in his office. He couldn’t help but give a huge grin to the two agents he was conversing with. Over the last few months, the White Collar floor found it impossible to stay suspicious or weary of Neal for long. Hughes and Peter didn’t treat the CI any differently after the match between Peter and Neal previously. While it took a while for them to get used to the idea of Neal being excellent at hand to hand combat, the Caffrey charm worked wonders at mending those weakened bridges.

“I’ve never seen you this excited to be called to Hughes’ office, what’s going on?” It was at this time that Peter joined them and heard Diana’s question.

“Oh, you know, classified.” Bryce could help but joke around with them about discussions being classified when they all thought he was joking.

“Come on, what’s going on? You getting released early from your leash for good behavior? That why you’re in such a good mood this week?” Jones furthered the questioning as Bryce was backing away from them. All he gave in answer was shrug with a meaningful look on his face. Let them assume what they wanted to assume. They would find out the real answer soon enough. And with his non-answer, that is exactly what they assumed.

“Just don’t spread that around, okay? Potentially, you know, there might be a surprise announcement next week.” And with that, Bryce turned and finished walking to Hughes’ office. Peter couldn’t help but grin at the antics of his partner and wonder how everyone in the office would take the news of Neal being Agent Larkin.

Peter, Diana, and Jones continued talking and getting ready for the stakeout, that would in theory become a takedown for their latest case, planned for that afternoon. They would be in the van while Neal went undercover to see what final information he could get from the guys he was meeting with. It would hopefully be the final confirmation they needed to make an arrest that day.

Peter did not think anything could ruin Bryce’s good mood that week. But he was wrong. About twenty minutes after Bryce entered Hughes’ office, he exited with a frustrated look on his face. Peter seemed to be the only one who noticed, many people busy trying to wrap up their work that afternoon so they wouldn’t have to stay later than needed on a Friday, while Jones and Diana were reviewing the information they had.

When Bryce joined them, he brushed off Peter by telling him that he’ll explain in a bit. Peter didn’t like what it was implying, but he trusted Bryce. After everything they have gone through together, it would be almost impossible not to trust each other. So, it was about ten minutes later when Bryce spoke up in a clear excuse to Peter to get him alone to explain what was going on.

“Hey, guys. I can’t expect you to sit in the van with Peter’s deviled ham for however long this takes. So, why don’t Peter and I go out to grab something to go for you three to enjoy while I’m out in the field working. I’ll even pay!” he held up a wallet that Peter identified instantly as his own. He grabbed it back with a scowl, pulling Bryce towards the exit, commenting how it will be coming out of Neal’s own pocket and not his. The doors to the floor closed to the sounds of Diana and Jones laughing at their usual antics.

They kept up the act until they were in Peter’s car and pulling away from the FBI building. Bryce took a deep breath before turning in his seat to look at Peter.

“Should I be parked somewhere for this conversation?” Peter hesitantly asked.

“No, you should be fine. It’s just that the case today that I’m walking into is also apparently a CIA mission. The CIA wants these guys dead, and I can’t tell you why. But if they are who the CIA thinks they are, then they’re on a list that gives CIA agents the authorization to kill. This list, it has names of people who have countless evidence against them, but the CIA somehow can’t make anything stick, or they are too violent to bring in safely. So, we’re authorized to kill them instead if we get the chance…” Bryce trailed off, watching Peter carefully.

“So, we’re sending you in to meet with a group who the CIA knows to be violent if they are who we think they are. Why are they letting White Collar get involved?” Peter was trying to hold onto some sliver of calm, if only because he was driving.

“They’re getting White Collar involved because we were already involved… And because I’m involved. The meeting with Hughes was them passing me information reminding me that if these are the guys we think they are, then I have the order to kill. The CIA management thought I needed the reminder in case I’ve gone soft as Neal Caffrey.”

“Oh, so now they’re worried about how this time undercover as Neal Caffrey is effecting you. Bureaucratic bullshit if you ask me…” That got a smile out of Bryce.

“Peter, I honestly don’t know how this afternoon is going to go. And if these are some of the guys on the list, I will kill them. I know we haven’t talked much at all about that part of my CIA experience, but are you going to be okay? I don’t think we’ll be able to keep it from Diana and Jones if it comes down to that. Will you be okay to keep them away and let me do what I need to do?”

It was a heavy question, and Peter didn’t think he would ever be ready for this conversation. He did not want to think of his friend killing another person without hesitation. Peter knew there would be justification behind the kills, and not only that, an entire government agency supporting it. But it still wasn’t something Peter had to deal with on a consistent basis. Bryce had that experience.

Bryce gave Peter the time to think – he knew it wasn’t a light conversation. But they had to have it. And Bryce wasn’t sure how the CIA expected him to pull off the mission with officially everyone on his team not knowing that he was CIA. Somehow, he had a feeling that the CIA knew that Peter knew at least the basics. They pulled up to a favorite sandwich shop, and Peter paused before opening the door to get out.

“Bryce, no matter what happens, I have your back. No questions asked tonight. You do what you need to do.” The look of relief that crossed Bryce’s face made Peter’s chest tighten. He never wanted to be the reason for betrayal in Bryce’s life. And especially when his partner’s life could be at stake, he would not be the cause for any moments of hesitation that could mean life or death.

The two of them grabbed a few sandwiches to-go for the van, and Bryce tried to eat at least a portion of one on their way back to the FBI building. And when they walked back into the office to join Diana and Jones for last minute planning, Peter made sure to be extra vigilant about any comments Bryce made on the off chance there was any further information that was hidden behind any other words.

It was with this last minute planning that Neal was outfitted with a mic hidden in the tie clip and his ankle tracker removed. Bryce tried to keep up his positive energy from earlier, especially since Jones and Diana were unaware of the potential danger the group he would be meeting with posed. To them, they only knew the potential white collar crimes that had been going on. They were blissfully unaware of the other horrors that filled their criminal notebooks.

Within the half hour, Peter, Jones, and Diana were in the van a few blocks away, and looking back, Peter was not sure where it all went wrong. One second, the team was listening in on Neal as he went undercover to get the final confirmation of information to make an arrest. It was a solid plan. And the next second, Neal was giving the codeword for backup to get him out of there since something was seriously about to go wrong.

“See? I Am unarmed…” And Peter knew he heard the emphasis on the words following the codeword correctly before the audio was cut out to the van. Realistically, Peter knew the reinforcements would not get to them in time. He could only hope that Hughes was in contact with potential CIA backup, knowing that his boss had also been listening in on what the mic was picking up from Bryce’s side.

Bryce was surrounded by people he was expected to kill. And they sent him in unarmed. He, Diana, and Jones were already mobilizing when they head a few gunshots go off. What felt like ages was actually only about two and a half minutes since it all started. It felt like forever before they arrived at the building.

Peter, Diana, and Jones entered the building with their guns drawn.

Peter questioned why he didn’t somehow get Bryce to go into this meeting with a gun hidden. Or at least some form of weapon.

Bryce was CIA, he could hide it from everyone Peter was sure.

The room was almost too silent when they entered.

Peter knew what was going to happen, but there was no way to tell Diana and Jones in that moment. Everything was moving too quickly for that explanation to happen.

What they saw when they entered the room was several bodies dead on the floor. What Jones and Diana saw was Neal Caffrey holding a gun to the head of the man still standing in front of him. Expressionless look on his face. What Peter saw was his friend doing his job, as unnerving as it appeared.

Bryce didn’t dare look away from the man in front of him. There was still information that was required to be extracted. He didn’t think Peter would have the stomach earlier to know that his mission had a few extra steps than just simple, painless killing. This man had information that the CIA needed, and that was why Bryce was pulled into the mission. It was just convenient that he had an easy way in to see the guy he would need to torture for information since there was no way the guy would give it up any other way. Bryce would call it information extraction. Peter would not be sure what to call it. And Jones and Diana were sure to see it as their nonviolent friend holding a gun to a man with other men either dead or bleeding out around them.

“Peter…” Bryce didn’t look away from the man in front of him. Gun never shook from its mark. Voice was solid and steady, “get Diana and Jones away from here.”

It took Peter a few seconds longer than he cared to admit in order to trust his friend. His partner. Saying that he would have his back no matter what earlier and actually facing this reality were two separate things.

“Peter…” Bryce’s voice was firmer, hint of frustration creeping into it. Peter nodded to himself, there was only the one man left in the room alive with Bryce. Bryce the CIA agent who had his orders. He would be fine.

“Jones, Diana. We need to leave. Everything is taken care of.” Two sets of shocked eyes looked towards him.

“But Peter…?”

“No questions, no arguments. We go back to the van, or at least outside. The situation here is under control.” Peter tried his best to ignore the looks his two friends, his two team members were giving him. His throat tightened at the new reality that was before them all. Peter knew he didn’t get the nicest introduction to learning his friend was CIA. He wasn’t sure what form of introduction was better: potential suicide of a friend, or a friend seemingly committing murder without reason. Even if it was government approved, Jones and Diana didn’t know that. Not yet.

The looks Peter got while directing Diana and Jones out of the building were close to mutinous. Peter didn’t blame them. But it reflected the amount of trust that Diana and Jones had in Peter that they ended up following him out of the building.

It was a calm afternoon outside. Hardly any wind, and sound traveled well.

It was clearly heard when a single gunshot rang out.

Peter would like to say that he didn’t flinch at the sound, but he did. He let his eyes close, not wanting to see what expressions Diana or Jones had on their faces. That wasn’t fair to Bryce. Peter needed to be strong to help make sure that Jones and Diana could make the connection with no problems between Neal Caffrey, nonviolent conman, with Agent Bryce Larkin, CIA agent with authorization to kill.

Peter wished that he could find his voice before Bryce exited the building to join them, but that did not happen.

“What the hell, Caffrey?!” Diana shouted, close to hysterics at the picture that she saw before her. Bryce unhelpfully still held a cooling gun in his hand and there was a spattering of blood on his white button up.

“Diana, Jones, please trust me when I say that there was no other choice. I…” Bryce was cut off from continuing his confession when a car pulled up and his CIA handler exited to join them. Bryce really did try to keep calm.

He only succeeded for a few seconds. The Neal Caffrey alias was completely forgotten as Bryce turned to give his full attention to Maria.

“What the hell was that?! The CIA sent me in with faulty information. You said that there was only going to be three of them. You were sure of that. But instead it was four of them with their leader. Two more people than expected. You knew I did not want to let them learn about me in this way.” Bryce’s voice was icy cold as he gestured to the small group of FBI agents. Peter was doing his best to make it look like he did not know that Neal Caffrey was CIA. He was sure he was failing at it with concern for his friend.

“I think you need to calm down…” Maria started to walk towards Bryce with her hands open in front of her as if trying to calm a spooked animal.

“Calm down? I was sent in unarmed! I was told it would not require me to carry.” The look on his face was furious.

“That’s never stopped you before…”

“It’s the thought behind it. And it is the reason why I am fully supportive of leaving the CIA. You hide information from your agents and expect everything to be okay. Even though I went in having only a hint of an idea of who was there, it was by pure luck that I was able to get the gun off of one of the guys there. If that didn’t happen, I would be dead right now…” Bryce trailed off as a thought occurred to him. The look sent a shiver down Peter’s spine. It wasn’t fury or anger; it was a quiet acceptance. His voice lowered and everyone could barely hear his next words.

“Unless that was the point. You got here awfully fast for letting the FBI take care of a CIA mission that was supposed to be a quick in and out for me… An easy extract information and kill.”

Maria was trying to hide her uncomfortableness at the situation. She knew that Bryce had figured it out.

“Unless the CIA planned to have me die again,” his voice broke at that with his pain clear, “and then you were going to let everyone in Neal Caffrey’s life believe that he died. You were never going to let me leave the CIA to join the FBI officially instead… Why not kill me again if it worked so well before.” Bryce felt like he was going to puke.

Peter couldn’t imagine what his friend was feeling. He couldn’t imagine the continued betrayal when he was only given the SparkNotes version of a few events in the past. He couldn’t look to see what Jones and Diana were thinking. He could only step forward and place a hand on the shoulder of his friend. At the contact, Bryce turned and seemed to crumble once he made eye contact with Peter. His usually perfect façade of perfection was broken into a million pieces at the thought of the CIA taking away the life he thought he was going to have. Maria didn’t even try to correct Bryce with a false narrative.

“No. I’m done with the CIA. We have all the documents in order and signed. Both agencies agreed to the terms…” Bryce was breaking inside, his voice cracking. Peter stepped forward, finally being able to find his voice.

“Listen here. CIA or not, I don’t care. After all the years you knew Bryce, to me it is obvious you never cared for him in the first place. He was just another assignment to you. You never cared about his mental health, and it is clear that you do not care about his physical health. I don’t care if he only had a few days left before being done with the CIA officially on paper. He is done as of today. You do not get to put his life in danger like that with a motive to get something else out of the mission. Especially not when it is someone from my team… No… not just my team. You do not get to fuck around with my partner’s life like that.” Peter did not need to raise his voice to the CIA handler responsible for Bryce to make a point.

Both Diana and Jones were not sure of how to handle the situation and could not wait until they had a moment where they could ask Peter and Neal what was going on. They both trusted Peter, and to an extent Neal, but they were struggling to piece together the information that they were now learning. Especially with the sight of the conman holding a gun, and from the sounds of it, killing the guys in that building as well. That was not the Neal Caffrey they knew. And it seemed like they never knew him in the first place if what they were hearing was true – Neal Caffrey was a CIA agent? When given more time to think about it later, they would start to piece together the small hints from the past years to show that there was more to the man than just a conman.

Peter turned to them and instructed them to contact Hughes and tell him that they were going to be heading back to the office. Hughes was to make sure they had a conference room ready and keep Diana and Jones with him until Peter and Neal could get back there.

“Go, we’ll be not too far behind you.” Diana wanted to protest Peter’s words, so many questions going through her mind. Same with Jones. It took a moment, but they hesitantly agreed and left Peter and Neal with the apparent CIA agent.

They were silent on their way back to the FBI building. There were no words that they could put to the thoughts they were having. Both trying to make sense of what happened that afternoon. The call to Hughes was short and sweet.

“Sir, it’s Jones. Something happened with the case. Somehow the CIA is involved, and Peter told us to tell you to make sure we have an empty conference room. Diana and I are on our way back, and Peter said that he and Neal would be following shortly…” Jones wasn’t sure what else he could say. He didn’t want to tell the story how he saw it until everyone was in the same room to discuss the series of events.

“Understood, Agent Jones. You and Agent Berrigan are not to talk to anyone until you get here. And once you get back to the office, come straight to the conference room.”

“Yes, sir.” Hughes hung up on Jones. Diana overheard the conversation but kept her eyes on the road while driving. The two of them continued to not speak, and soon enough, they arrived back at the office.

When they walked through the doors of the White Collar division, Hughes saw them from where he sat in his office. He stepped out and motioned them to join him in the conference room, ignoring the stares of a few of the people left at the office. Some had already left for the day as it was after 4pm, but others had paperwork to wrap up.

The conference door closed behind them as Jones and Diana took seats on one side of the table, Hughes taking the other side. The two younger agents were not sure how to open the conversation. Diana took the first step towards getting answers.

“Sir, do you know what happened tonight?”

“I am not the person who can give you those details.”

“So, you do know what happened.” It was more of a statement than a question from Jones.

“Like I said, I am not the person who is allowed to tell you these details. We need to wait for them to get back to the office.” The way Hughes rephrased his statement made Jones and Diana give each other a look.

“Something is going on, and you’ve signed confidentiality agreements, haven’t you?” It ended up sounding more like a statement than a question.

“That I can neither confirm nor deny.” Hughes folded his hands in front of him on the table. There was an unmarked folder resting under his clasped hands that he had carried in with him. The three of them fell into an uneasy sort of silence anticipating what was to come.

It wasn’t too much longer when the doors of the White Collar division opened again, Peter and Neal walking through. Well, it was more of Neal stalking forward, hardened face with a look that those in the conference room were not used to seeing on the young man’s face. Peter trailed behind him, almost as if he knew there was going to be another explosion to avoid, but he would not abandon his friend.

Hughes decided that the first words with Bryce should not be in front of Jones and Diana. He wanted to make sure the other man was going to be okay for the conversation waiting. But as soon as Hughes exited the conference room, Bryce was already shouting his displeasure, not even a few steps into the office.

“They were never going to let me go, Hughes. Despite them playing nice and actually seeming like they gave a shit during these last few months, they instead go and play their hand like this.” Neal’s voice never got to the point of yelling, but it was not to be messed with, and could still be clearly heard throughout the White Collar office. He followed up his entrance with pulling the gun from earlier, well cooled off by now, out from his waistband and set it on the closest open desk. All of the agents in view of this display were instantly alert at the sight of the unexpected gun, but didn’t act on it when they saw that Hughes was not concerned at the sight of it.

“Hughes, I can’t do it anymore! If the CIA wants their agent back, then good luck once more FBI agents find out about me. News like this will spread like wildfire, and there will be no way to contain it. What good is a spy when the entire FBI knows who I am?” With an entrance like this, Bryce for sure had the attention of everyone who was left in the office.

“You’re sure about this?” Hughes knew the answer, the entrance Bryce gave so far was a clear answer for that question, but had to be sure one last time before potentially starting an incident between the FBI and CIA. During the commotion, Jones and Diana appeared at the door to the conference room.

“I absolutely am. I’ve done enough for the CIA over the years that they can give me this retirement on my terms. Especially after what they did today. Hughes, did you hear everything?”

“I had to make a few calls once your cover was blown to Jones and Diana, so no, I did not hear everything. How bad is it?”

“The CIA was going to kill Neal Caffrey and take me back to the CIA. They were never planning on letting me leave. So, yes. I am absolutely sure about my choice to let everyone in this office know that Neal Caffrey was an undercover assignment for the CIA. All of my time as Neal was for the CIA…” he trailed off as he heard someone else entering the floor from the elevators. It was his CIA handler. It was as she entered the floor that Bryce continued talking with more determination in his voice.

“All of my time as Neal Caffrey was a deep undercover assignment for the CIA. I’m really Agent Bryce Larkin, and I was going to officially join the FBI as an agent until the CIA stabbed me in the back. Again.” Bryce did not break his eye contact with Maria. He could feel the stares from the other agents on the floor, the silence was deafening in the aftermath of what was revealed to them all.

Maria took a deep breath before walking up to Bryce.

“You win. Management has heard your point, loud and clear. Especially after this mess and insubordination, Neal Caffrey is officially dead to the CIA, and Agent Bryce Larkin is released to the FBI. Effective immediately.”

Those words shocked Bryce and took out all the air in his lungs. He was expecting more of a fight, more of an argument from the CIA to keep him.

“…Just like that?” Hesitation was clear in his voice and he was unable to mask the confusion on his face.

“Well, the fine print is that the CIA has the right to call you in on a mission here and there. But only if it is serious enough and we need your skills.”

“So, I’m not truly free from the CIA.” It was stated as a fact and not a question. He knew it was too good to be true.

“Bryce, is anyone truly free from the CIA? You know how it is. Expect a few meetings next week to finalize a new agreement between the FBI and CIA to be signed, but that should just be a formality to catch up the paperwork. I wish I could say it was a pleasure working with you, Bryce, but my liver is already feeling much healthier without the need to worry about you and your mission.” Maria didn’t let Bryce cut in at all – she had to say her piece. When Bryce didn’t immediately say anything, she nodded and turned back towards the elevators. The mess in the White Collar office was no longer her mess to be concerned with, and her liver could deal with maybe some more alcohol that night in quiet celebration.

Bryce didn’t move from where he stood, watching Maria walk out of his life as his handler. His mouth opened and closed a few times, trying to process the sudden whiplash of conversation from what it started out as, and where it ended up.

“Bryce…?” Peter’s gentle voice called from where he had stood to the side. Bryce turned to meet Peter’s concerned eyes.

“Peter, I’m… I’m free. Well, mostly free. But I can live with that…” he had a faraway look in his eyes as he worked through the huge change in his life. He was oblivious to the crowd that formed around him where all the remaining agents on the floor had circled them, looking for answers from Hughes.

“Alright, listen up, everyone…” Hughes knew he had to step in before anyone had the chance to overwhelm their newest FBI agent. “Everything that you just heard is true,” he paused for dramatic effect. He had to keep some of his original plan after all. It was once again Diana who cut through the silence.

“Wait, sir, Neal Caffrey is… was… actually an undercover agent from the CIA?”

“Yes, and this was going to have been revealed to you all next week, but it seems the CIA did not want to lose one of their best agents. They took advantage of your case earlier today, and there were details they forbade Agent Larkin or I from sharing with everyone. And before you ask, yes. Everything you saw earlier today was authorized by the CIA.” Hughes was careful not to give too many details from what happened earlier at the warehouse to the agents who were not there.

“Burke,” Hughes continued to talk as his agents absorbed the information. “Take Larkin home and make sure he’s okay. I don’t think he needs to be here anymore today.” Bryce focused on Hughes when he was being told to go home. “I’ll see you both Monday morning. After all, we have a new agent to introduce to the office, don’t we?”

“Yes, sir.” Bryce gave a small smile and slowly turned towards his desk to grab the belongings he had there while Peter did the same in his office. It was only another minute before Peter had a hand on Bryce’s back, directing him out of the doors towards the elevators. Ignoring all the stares piercing their backs until they disappeared into the elevators. Directing him away from the office that was sure to be a whole new type of mess Monday morning.

But that would be a problem for Monday morning.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Definitely did not mean to wait this long to post the next chapter. Work suddenly got really busy end of July, and then suddenly it is August. If you ever go into engineering in the automotive field, be prepared for no social life when emergencies happen. Especially when it involves late night meetings with the team in Japan. Gotta love the time difference.
> 
> Because of it, I did not get to put everything I wanted to in this chapter, so there will be another chapter in this story before I call it complete (in theory) and post the next one in the series (which I am very excited for).
> 
> Once again, I did minimal edits on the chapter, so I apologize for any errors.

It was silent for a few more seconds once Peter and Bryce disappeared into the elevators, but as soon as the elevator doors closed, it seemed like everyone started talking. Hughes held up a hand, and the conversations were quick to end.

“It would be pointless to tell you to not mention this to anyone else. However, I ask for your discretion until we do have all the paperwork officially completed and in the system next week. I ask this not only as your boss, but I ask you to show respect towards a fellow agent who has been through more than enough. I want this to be clear. Agent Bryce Larkin is one of us. Push aside any misgivings you had about Neal Caffrey, the conman who has given this office countless headaches. I will not betray his trust by telling you details about his undercover work. But think about it. He was in deep undercover for the CIA for over half his life now. He chose to fight to stay in this office… With us... I’m not asking you to blindly trust him for no reason. Give him your respect as a fellow agent. But I would hope that his time here has meant something to you all as well. Know that I would trust him any day to have my own back...” Hughes let his impromptu speech trail off before continuing.

“Now, finish up your work and head home. Enjoy your weekend. Be ready on Monday to welcome a new agent to the White Collar division.” With that, he turned back towards the conference room, walking in to grab the folder he had brought in there earlier but ended up not needing. Diana and Jones both hung back and looked like they wanted to talk with their boss. Hughes saw this and motioned for them to join him in his office. With no surprise, it was Diana who asked the first question.

“How long have you known that he’s CIA?”

“For a while now.” Not giving too many details, Hughes avoided their eyes, shuffling a few papers on his desk to get organized.

“I assume Peter already knew?” Jones asked. The desk organizing stopped, and Hughes looked up at the two with a sigh.

“Unofficially, Peter has known about as long as I have. Officially, he only found out today along with everyone else.”

“Do you know why the CIA had an agent within the FBI?” Diana went for the big question on both of their minds.

“I do.”

“And you’re not able to tell us anything?”

“No, I am not. All I will say is that I know the basics of what Agent Larkin’s main mission was, and I am more than okay with having him now be part of my White Collar team officially. Ever since seeing the basics of some of his files, I was more than ready to take him from the CIA at the first chance I got.”

“So, you really would trust him with your life?” Hughes nodded in response to the question from Jones.

It was at that time when both Diana and Jones received a text message from Peter. The message told them that they were welcome to join him and Bryce at June’s that night when they were done with their work. Jones was the one who read the text first and let both Hughes and Diana know about it. With the text invitation, Hughes went ahead and dismissed the two agents in front of him as he had a feeling if they waited too long Bryce may change his mind.

“One last thing before you head out. I want to remind you that Bryce Larkin has been an agent the whole time you knew him as Neal Caffrey. He had his missions, and he had his instructions to keep his undercover work secret. The CIA wouldn’t just send any agent for these missions. They had to send their best to make sure the undercover alias survived all these years. He couldn’t break cover – think about how often he had late night visitors from Caffrey’s world. Now, go pester him with your questions, but don’t get frustrated if he is not able to answer everything to your satisfaction.” The two agents nodded in understanding before they turned to walk out the door, gather their belongings, and headed out towards June’s place to talk with Peter and Ne… Bryce.

That would going to take some time to get used to, calling the man they knew as Neal for years by another name.

It was going to take time to unlearn habitual thoughts when seeing Bryce with a priceless jewel or holding some fancy, original painting.

~*~*~*~*~*~

As soon as Peter and Bryce left the elevator, Peter had to help direct Bryce towards his car as the CIA now FBI agent was lost in his head. He could not believe what happened that day; never would have been able to guess that was how the week was going to end.

The drive over to June’s was thick with silence. The weight of what transpired that day heavy on the mind of both men.

When Peter pulled into a parking spot, he was quick to make sure that Bryce was good to get out of the car and make his way up to the door, up the stairs, and eventually dropping down onto the couch. The new sitting position pulled up the bottom of his suit pants, revealing the tracker that was still fixed around his ankle. Seeing it, Bryce was instantly back on his feet looking for his scissors. He started to finally talk as he was digging around one of the drawers.

“I told them that if this was how it was going to happen, then I am taking the tracking anklet off tonight. That they better not drag their heels when it comes to informing the US Marshals that my tracker was going offline for good.” Bryce turned around with scissors in hand, determined look on his face.

“You sure you want to do that now? You don’t want to give it until the morning to make sure everything went through from their side?”

“Peter, if it creates a mess for the CIA, I don’t care at this point.” And with that, he put his foot up on a chair and cut the band in a few resolute cuts. Peter held his breath and watched as the light only went dark and no phone calls incoming. Bryce gave his friend a satisfied smile and tossed the tracker on the table, scissors following a little more gently. Before falling back to the couch, Bryce grabbed a Malbec from his wine collection and popped the cork out. He didn’t even bother grabbing a glass to drink from.

Peter felt mixed emotions watching his friend at that moment. Thrilled that he was now free for the most part from the CIA, but now anxious about what may be waiting for them on Monday morning. With a sigh, Peter went to the fridge and grabbed one of the beers he kept there for when he was over. Popping the bottle cap off and setting it on the counter, he then pulled over one of the dining table chairs, back of the chair facing Bryce and sitting on it backwards. Arms crossed on the back of the chair.

“You want to talk about any of this?”

Bryce took a swig from the bottle before responding.

“No… Yes… I don’t know…” His head fell to the back of the couch, eyes closed. To Peter, Bryce suddenly looked so much younger, yet older, than he really was.

“You think it would help to talk with Diana and Jones before Monday?” Bryce was silent to Peter’s question for a few minutes.

“I was ready for everyone to know… Just not in the way it all played out. Because of course that couldn’t have gone smoothly.” Another swig of wine from the bottle, lips slowly stained red without a care.

“You know, if they come over tonight, it will be more reasons for Mozzie to stay away. I know you haven’t told him about your CIA connection yet, and I feel like this is not how you want him to find out on a Friday night.” There was a much larger gulp of wine at the mention of Mozzie.

“Yeah, tell them to come over if they want before I change my mind. I definitely do not want to talk with Mozzie tonight. He would know something was up and become even more suspicious.” Peter nodded as he pulled out his phone to send a text to Diana and Jones. Bryce set the wine on the side table, already a quarter of the way through the bottle. His head once again fell to the back of the couch, eyes closing for a few minutes in the silence. Peter did not want to lose his friend too far down the path of inevitably dark thoughts.

“What’s going through that genius mind of yours?”

“How everyone is probably going to hate me for a while again. Just like when I first joined the team as Caffrey, no one trusted me and only a few tolerated having me around. It took time to build up any of that trust and friendship. And now, poof. Word will get around about the guys I killed today, and everyone will look at me differently now…”

“You are right, things will be different. Another way it will all be different is that you have Hughes and me on your side from the new start. We have your back, like we know you have ours.” Bryce opened his eyes to look over at Peter, hint of a smile on his face.

“Thanks, Peter.”

“Anytime, Bryce.” Bryce smiled at his name, a habit that stemmed from not hearing it as often as he had before.

Thinking ahead, Peter set his cheap beer down on the table and went to grab them both glasses of water, figuring that keeping them both hydrated tonight would be appreciated in the morning. Bryce’s water glass was set down next to his wine bottle, and he nodded a thanks to Peter.

This time, they fell into a comfortable silence as they waited for Diana and Jones to arrive, which they did after not too long of a wait. The knocking came at the door, and it was Peter who stood up to let the other two agents into the room.

The two newcomers paused at seeing the younger man sprawled out on the couch with the open wine bottle to the side. 

“Are you sure you’re up to us talking with you tonight?” Jones questioned.

“Well, no, but it was either invite you guys over, or inevitably deal with Mozzie tonight. And I don’t think I’m quite ready to go through the CIA conversation with him yet. Feel free to grab some wine or some of Peter’s beer from the fridge.”

Both agents turned down the offer of alcohol as they wanted to keep a clear head that night for the interesting conversation they were about to have.

“So, Mozzie doesn’t know you’re CIA…?”

“Mozzie doesn’t know I was CIA, now FBI.” Bryce finally sat up on the couch, looking over at Jones and Diana as he made that correction. He gestured to the empty chairs for the two to sit down while Peter took the empty spot by Bryce on the couch, new bottle of beer in his hand.

“So, the whole time as Neal Caffrey, all the times Mozzie worked with you, he doesn’t know that he unknowingly helped out the CIA. Do you think he’ll still talk with you after he finds out? Or was he just a means to an end in the conman world?” Diana asked.

“The friendship I have with the Moz is real and I don’t want to lose him. I’m not looking forward to telling him about it all, but there is no avoiding it once he sees me without a tracker and with a new FBI badge. I have some old CIA equipment for Moz that I hope will serve as an olive branch.”

The group fell into a sort of awkward silence with Diana and Jones both not knowing what direction to go in despite all the questions racing through their minds. Peter, seeing that Bryce was content to let the two agents stew in the silence, decided to help things along. After all, they were still going to be a team, and he wanted them all to get to some form of understanding before the chaos that was sure to come on Monday.

“How about we start with something simple. Bryce, want to tell them a little bit about yourself?”

“Yeah, that is probably a good place to start…” Bryce took a deep breath. “Bryce Larkin isn’t even my birth name…” That got a look from Peter – Jones and Diana were not going to be the only ones learning new information tonight. “Based on the nature of what happened, I won’t be telling you my birth name now, maybe not ever. What happened, happened, and I grew up in witness protection, and eventually was accepted into Stanford under the name Bryce Larkin. It was there that the CIA offered me a position even before I graduated.”

“You went to Stanford?” Jones asked both a little bit shocked and impressed. Bryce nodded.

“Yeah, I’m better with computers and technology than Neal Caffrey ever was. But I needed to make sure there were enough big differences between him and I for the long undercover mission to be a success.” He reached over for the wine bottle, tipping it back for another drink before continuing with a brief history of his life.

“I graduated, went right into the CIA training, and began shadowing people on missions for the experience. It did not take long for me to start getting assigned missions of my own, and not too long after that they realized how skillful I was on the missions that needed more of a conman touch. So, I began getting additional training to learn how to be a successful conman, and the beginnings of Neal Caffrey were starting to form. Turns out they needed someone who could build up those sort of relationships in the criminal world and use them to the CIA’s advantage. Soon enough, I was on the FBI’s radar and the CIA didn’t see a reason to clear that from the records. It gave a certain sort of credibility to my alias. Then, you know the rest. Neal Caffrey got caught and ended up being a consultant to the FBI.”

“Hold up, that was a long period of time you just glossed over. But why did the CIA let you go to jail? Why did you break out when you were so close to being done?” Jones continued to question Bryce.

“Sorry, but I can’t tell you. All classified CIA info. But yes, Neal Caffrey being caught and sent to jail, and then escaping was all part of my missions. It then provided the opportunity needed to get me into the FBI. Now that mission is completed, it was time for a change.”

“What made you decide now? Why leave the CIA?” Diana asked as she and Jones continued to try and piece everything that they knew together.

“Let me tell you about how Peter found out about me,” The two agents were confused about the apparent sudden avoidance of the question. “I’m sure you know from your time in the FBI that being deep undercover can mess with people sometimes to put it lightly.” They nodded in agreement, vaguely getting an idea of where this was going. Not really knowing how to put the rest of it into words, Bryce motioned for Peter to continue the story, “you probably remember more of it than I do.”

“I get a phone call waking me up at I don’t know what time at night. Bryce was clearly drunk, and a lot of what he was saying made it sound like Neal was suicidal. He was talking about how he couldn’t do it anymore and was ready to kill off Neal Caffrey. I rushed over here to see him, and I walk in on him with a gun. I later find out that he was just going through the stuff he had stashed away that would connect him to the CIA, but I did not know that at the time obviously. Before handing the gun over, he started talking about how he had been trying to get clearance to tell me, about how he couldn’t do it alone anymore.” Bryce cut in to add a few more comments of his own.

“You guys have to understand that I’ve been Neal Caffrey longer than I’ve been Bryce Larkin. The CIA had me keep my cover pretty much 24/7. I had minimal contact with my handler, and even then, sometimes it was just secret messages left at a drop so we didn’t make contact in person. There was only so long I could keep that up, and once I realized Neal Caffrey was starting to become who I was, I started to break down. But the CIA wouldn’t listen to how I needed at least one person I could talk with about all of this, told me to deal with it. So, I went behind their back and dealt with it. The alcohol also made that choice pretty easy that night.” Both Jones and Diana began to change their perspective of the man before them. It would take time to build up that trust again, but the bridges were no longer burning. Peter picked the story back up when Bryce went in for another sip of wine.

“I may not have found out in the best way, but I am glad that he reached out to me. I was able to help him remember who he is during the times that he started to slip. The morning after he told me all of this, he couldn’t even remember everything that he told me. That was a fun conversation over coffee.”

“Hey Diana, remember when we initially made the bet about who would win in a fight between Peter and I?” Diana nodded, having forgotten about that time. “That was one of the times when I was forgetting Bryce – we were in an art gallery and I had been living as Neal for far too long at that point. Peter brought me back to being Bryce, asked if I could teach him some of the fighting skills I know. Something that Neal Caffrey wouldn’t know.”

“How did I forget about that? Why go through the process of showing fighting skills that you could never have learned in a few months? You have to know that would bring up questions?” Diana was starting to feel a little bit more relaxed after all the events of that day.

“At that time, there was already a plan in the works to get me transferred over to the FBI after my mission as Neal Caffrey was finished. Hughes really went to bat for me and did all he could to make it happen. So, I thought that starting to show some of my other skills would spread out some of the shock of me being CIA. And then the CIA was the CIA, and the mission earlier today was a complete cluster fuck.” Jones cut in as Bryce took a drink of water.

“Yeah, man, I wanted to ask about that but wasn’t sure if you would want to or could give any further details? I mean, you seemed to not care about filtering anything earlier, and hearing that you’ve died in the past was a pretty big shocker on top of everything.” Diana nodded in agreement that she was feeling the same.

Bryce set the wine bottle on the table and rested his head in his hands, elbows digging into his knees. Hands brushed through his hair as he took a deep breath, sitting back again in the couch. He slowly started shaking his head.

“Not tonight. I don’t think I can talk about all of that tonight.” Peter rubbed a hand on Bryce’s back, offering a small gesture of support. “After everything today, I don’t think I can handle talking about anymore of the big subjects, sorry.”

“No, Ne… Bryce. Don’t be sorry. You’ve already given us more information to think about after what we saw earlier today. You’ve clearly been through a lot.” Diana offered her words of understanding before turning the conversation elsewhere, “So out of the people who were in the office tonight, how well do you think they’re going to keep the secret from the other agents until Monday? Could be fun to see the reactions from everyone. You planning on being there when Hughes makes the big announcement, or will you show up fashionably late?”

“Yeah, should be lots of fun after how today went…”

“Bryce, I may have had other thoughts before, but if both Peter and Hughes trust you to join the team, then you have my trust too. It might take a while to get to that point again outside of work, but I trust you to have my back.” Diana made sure to keep eye contact with Bryce throughout her comments.

“Same with me. I might still have trouble trusting you with a priceless art piece for some time, but I trust you to have my back as well.” Jones added onto Diana’s words.

“Thanks, guys.” Bryce’s voice was small, but he did give them a small smile. Peter took in the scene with a smile, proud of his team for starting to become one again. He knew it wouldn’t be easy and they had a long road ahead of them, but at least come Monday, Bryce wouldn’t be completely alone in his support system. They all continued to talk about a few light subjects to fill the space, working at getting comfortable around each other again. But soon enough both Jones and Diana felt it was time to head out for the night and wished Peter and Bryce a good weekend and that they would see them Monday morning. Peter stayed a little bit longer, having one last glass of water before heading out himself after getting the confirmation from Bryce that he would be okay.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Peter’s alarm went off Monday morning, and he was not sure what the day would bring. He tried to keep everything normal, Elizabeth still not in on the whole Neal is actually Bryce secret. Peter and Bryce were planning on telling her that evening when he came over for dinner after work. But when he put on his lucky tie, she knew something big was going on.

“Everything okay, hon?” She questioned as she fixed his tie before he left for the day.

“Yeah, maybe? I’ll have a better answer after work. I promise that I will tell you all about it after work, but I am not allowed to tell you right now.”

“Must be some secret if you’re not even giving me a hint.” Elizabeth smiled at her husband. Peter smiled back.

“Not my secret to tell.”

“Neal? Is that why you suggested we invite him over for dinner tonight?” Peter gave a nod in response before slipping on his jacket and grabbing his car keys.

“I promise that it will all be clear tonight. Now, I gotta go before I’m late for an early meeting with Hughes.” Peter gave his wife a quick kiss goodbye.

“Bye, Hon.”

“Bye, Hon.” One last smile shared between them, and then Peter was out the door. His stomach was twisting in knots in anticipation of what the morning in the office was going to be like. No, scratch that. Anticipation of how the who foreseeable future was going to be in the office.

He also did not know for sure if Bryce was planning on being there for the announcement or if he was going to show up after. Last they talked the night before, the other agent had not made up his mind. And there were no texts waiting on Peter’s phone that morning. Peter could see both choices making sense for the other man. Honestly, he is not sure what way he would go with if he were in Bryce’s shoes. All he knew was that Hughes gave Bryce to go ahead to arrive late if he needed that extra time.

Peter pulled into a parking spot and made the trek up to the White Collar floor. He knew he was in a little bit earlier than normal for a Monday morning, but he wanted to make sure he was there if Bryce was already at his desk and needed a friendly face or distraction. Hughes had sent out a meeting notice late Friday night, and then made sure it was clear that everyone was expected to be in the office unless there was a legit emergency.

There was still about an hour before the meeting was to be held, but Hughes was also already in the office. Not many others were there, and Bryce’s desk was empty. Peter was still not sure if he should be surprised about that or not. He dropped off his belongings in his office before popping his head into Hughes’ office to say good morning and ask if he heard from Bryce one way or another.

“No, I have not heard from him. But the CIA proved useful. They fast tracked all of Bryce’s new FBI credentials and badge. He is now officially with the FBI as your partner.” Hughes gestured to the official envelope sitting on his desk. Peter reached for it, and even though he already knew what was in there, he couldn’t help but give Hughes a grin when the new FBI badge and ID slid to the edge. Peter pulled out the badge and knew that he wanted to be the one to give it to his friend. He looked at the ID and felt like a weight was free from his shoulders when he saw Bryce’s name on the same card as FBI instead of CIA.

It was such a small thing in the grand scheme of things, but actually seeing it all in front of him made Peter feel like everything was finally going to be okay for his friend. Peter slid the items back into the envelope where the rest of the official paperwork copies were held and set it back down on Hughes’ desk before heading back to his own office.

It was about that time when some of the other people started flowing into the floor, tired eyes looking questioningly towards Hughes. Many kept the secret from Friday night, not wanting to be the one to go against Hughes’ wishes that it be kept a secret until the meeting. The few in the office already that knew seemed to be doing the worst at trying to look busy at their desks. Hughes had to know that next to no work was going to be accomplished that day. Peter knew that he would probably be one of them not doing work as he made sure that Bryce was doing okay and trying to make sure everything went smoothly.

The clock was ticking closer to the time of the meeting, and there was still no sign of Bryce. No communication from him either. Peter decided to send off a quick text making sure his friend was okay. Surprisingly, he got an almost instant reply: ‘I’m okay. Currently hiding in the building still not sure if I’ll be there for the meeting. But I think I’ll probably pass on it.’

Another text followed a few seconds later: ‘Let me know when Hughes tells everyone. Decided to not be there for that.’

Peter sent off his own text saying that he would, and that he also would provide an escape car if needed. That got him a smiley face emoji in return. Setting his phone down on his desk, he felt a little bit lighter now he knew what Bryce was planning. He looked out across the floor, noticed that Jones and Diana were at their desks. In fact, it looked like everyone in the office already arrived for the day. It wasn’t often that Hughes scheduled an urgent Monday morning meeting with no details given. So, the mystery behind it for most of the people there was sure to be the big reason everyone was on time that day, even if it meant a few extra cups of coffee. Hughes also seemed to have noticed that everyone was accounted for, except Bryce, and knocked on Peter’s office door.

“You hear from him?” Hughes didn’t need to add any further details to his question.

“Yeah, sounds like he decided to wait it out and arrive after you tell everyone. He’s in the building but didn’t say where. Just requested that I text him after everyone knows.” Hughes nodded in response.

“Well, might as well go ahead and start the announcement a little bit early. Looks like everyone is here.” Peter followed him out of the office and to the top of the steps. There was no need to call everyone over to be within hearing range. Everyone had been watching Hughes that morning, especially once he left his office and entered Peter’s. When they exited, it took no time at all for everyone to gather around.

“I hope everyone had a good weekend, and I thank you all for getting in on time for this meeting. There is no easy way to say this besides just getting to the point. Neal Caffrey will no longer be working as a CI in the FBI…” He paused for dramatic effect – he still had to get something out of this. It wasn’t every day that he got to reveal a CIA agent who had been working on his team. There were the expected shocked looks on people’s faces, a few glances over at the desk Neal used along with hesitant looks of pity towards Peter. Everyone knew how close Peter and Neal were after working together for so long. Hughes continued with the reveal before they started to assume Neal was back in jail or dead.

“This is because Neal Caffrey was an undercover alias for CIA Agent Bryce Larkin. Agent Larkin finished his mission for the CIA and has transferred over to the FBI effective today. He will be working as Peter’s partner, and I expect you to welcome the new agent with the respect you would show any new agent to the team. You all know undercover work can be rough on people. Now imagine all that Agent Larkin had to go through to keep the Caffrey alias alive all these years with no one finding out.” As expected, there were the shocked faces along with a few confused and angry looks.

“Why did the CIA have an agent undercover in the FBI in the first place?” And there it was. Peter and Hughes knew it was only a matter of time before someone brought up that question. The two agencies never really looked at each other fondly, and that was especially true when finding out there was a spy amongst them. Hughes sighed.

“I am not authorized to give any of the mission details, but I will say that I agree with the reasoning why there was a CIA agent undercover in the FBI. Any further information, you’ll need to ask Agent Larkin.” It was at this time that Peter texted Bryce to let him know that the bombshell had been dropped. Hughes looked over at Peter, got a small nod in response to the gesture towards the phone, and knew he probably did not have much time before Bryce made his appearance.

“The case that Peter led on Friday resulted in some issues that I will not be going into detail on. But I had been working with the CIA for a while now to work through the fine print of transferring Bryce from the CIA to the FBI.” It was at that time when Bryce arrived and cut off whatever Hughes was going to continue to say.

When the elevator opened and Bryce walked out, it felt like the whole floor was holding their breath. It felt like you could cut the tension with a knife. Peter could see how tense Bryce held his posture, trying and only slightly failing at making it look like it was just another day. He dressed down a little bit, not wearing the most expensive suit in Byron’s collection, but still looking nice. No hat, but there was a new looking tie clip that looked like it may have been polished a hundred times out of anxiety. So, maybe not new, but very well polished.

Bryce pushed open the doors and held his head high as he looked up at Peter and Hughes, not quite daring to look at everyone else yet. Everyone was so silent you could hear a pin drop. Peter knew the best way to break the silence.

“Bryce, I have something for you,” Peter took the few steps to grab the envelope from Hughes’ desk and then walked down the stairs. The crowd parted to let Peter through, and Bryce ended up taking a few more steps forward. “turns out the CIA can do something right after all.” With that, Peter took out the new badge and FBI agent ID, leaving the rest of the official documentation in the envelope. Bryce brought his left hand up to his mouth, almost like he didn’t believe it was real. Given his track record with the CIA, Peter wouldn’t blame him for not quite believing in it just yet.

Peter held out the items for Bryce to take, which he did with an overwhelmed look on his face. He flipped open the ID and couldn’t help but stare at it for a few seconds before looking back up at Peter, and then Hughes. Bryce would deny any claims that his eyes started to get a little misty, but it was this vulnerable side that many in the room never saw before that made them realize how much of the story they did not quite know. There were several who were prepared to not trust the new agent, since even if he was an agent, he was still an amazing conman and a spy. Why should they start trusting him now? Someone who was happy working for the CIA would not be acting this way.

“Welcome to the team, Agent Larkin.” It was Diana’s friendly voice that broke through the silence of people not knowing what to say despite everything they were prepared to say before. Bryce looked up and found where Diana was standing, still shocked that the CIA actually went through with getting everything sorted out on such short notice. Hughes decided it was time to step in again.

“Larkin, Burke, my office. The rest of you, get back to work. You’ll have plenty of time to ask your questions later.” It was once the door to Hughes’ office was closed and the three men out of earshot of the rest of the office that the conversation really started happening. There was not going to be any work done that morning.

“I still can’t believe that the CIA had an agent in the FBI. And now we’re supposed to trust him? It was hard trusting him before as a conman, but now trusting him as a conman and a spy? I don’t see that happening.”

“Did you not see how he was just now? Clearly the CIA fucked him up. Undercover for all those years? Think about it. When did Burke start going after Caffrey? All that time, and then jail, that all must have been rough on the guy.”

“Yeah, and both Hughes and Peter clearly trust him, and when has Hughes ever led us astray?”

“This explains how he’s good with guns and fighting. I think he was probably holding back when he had that match against Peter awhile back.” Others nodded their agreement as they thought back to that night.

“Think he’ll give us any lessons that the FBI won’t teach us? He has to have some tricks that he didn’t use during that match.”

“What I want to know is why he wanted to leave the CIA. They must have some cool toys to play with that the FBI can only dream of.”

“Do you think it is such a wise idea for him to be killing off Neal Caffrey so-to-speak? Caffrey is well known in the criminal world, I just wonder if we’re losing an asset by not being able to send him in as Caffrey if it gets out that he was CIA all along.”

“Burning Neal Caffrey was my choice,” Bryce’s voice confidently broke through any of the conversations people were invested in, to the point where no one notice him reentering the open area, Peter and Hughes behind him. The short time behind closed doors to sign the paperwork gave him the opportunity to gather himself again and face the White Collar office. “Hughes and Peter can both back me up on this if you don’t believe me. There’s a reason why long-term undercover mission agents are given a handler. They are supposed to be someone to help the undercover agent remember who they are and to connect with the world outside of the mission. The CIA felt that my missions were too sensitive to have these regular meetings. Neal Caffrey was too important to keep alive that the CIA did not want to risk someone seeing the meetings happen and connect any of the miniscule dots that were there. Any of you who have gone undercover for longer periods of time know that it can be hard. Now try living your life as your undercover alias for years, not being able to break character except for a small time here and there. I started to become Neal Caffrey, and the CIA did not think that was a concern.”

Bryce paused to let that sink in.

Both Hughes and Peter stood firmly behind him, silently daring anyone to speak out against Bryce.

“The CIA was ready to kill me again on Friday and bring me back to life in their labs to remove me from the FBI completely.”

More stunned silence. Some of the people there were starting to see the small differences between Neal and Bryce. It seemed like Bryce was more confident in speaking his mind to put people in their place once he found his footing. What the people didn’t see what the absolute spaghetti that was his insides as he gripped the railing in front of him tightly, trying to keep his composure.

“Neal Caffrey is no longer an asset to be used by any agency. Not after I have spent more of my life as him instead of myself. Now, I have some certification I need to brush up on, but afterwards I will be more than happy to answer questions I know you all have.” With that, Bryce walked over to his desk and took off his suit jacket. It revealed that he had on a shoulder holster this whole time but was expertly able to prevent it from showing. Without waiting, he then walked towards the doors, Peter and Hughes following behind. At Jones and Diana’s questioning looks, Peter filled them in.

“Gun range. Technically his certs expired awhile ago, but since Neal Caffrey was a non-violent criminal, the CIA never enforced him needing to be recertified. But now that he’s FBI, he needs to recertify before he goes out in the field at all. Hughes is joining because he wants to see just how good Bryce is in person – report summaries heavily censored by the CIA can only tell you so much about a person’s skills.”

“Can we come to watch?” Diana asked. There were a few people around them who also seemed interested in joining.

“No, stay here and try to keep everyone civil. Bryce doesn’t need an audience after this morning. I’m sure there will be another time soon. Something that Neal and Bryce have in common is the enjoyment he gets out of showing off sometimes. Ask him later, and I’m sure he will gladly show you his skills.” Diana nodded at Peter’s words, still a little disappointed at not being able to join the three guys. Jones and a few others looked like they felt the same way. With that, Peter turned to catch up with Hughes and Bryce where they were waiting for him in the elevator.

“I bet Bryce will get some funny looks from other agents in the building since they don’t know yet. Neal would never be able to walk around with guns on him.” Jones’ comment made the people around him laugh as the tension of the morning’s events started to loosen.

“To be a fly on the wall when Ruiz or Rice find out.” Another agent added to the conversation. That also got a few chuckles from people as everyone started to really think about the implication of Caffrey being an undercover CIA agent who now worked with them in the FBI.


End file.
